Once

So excited! If all goes well, I'm going to see a free screening of Once at NYU tomorrow night. Here's the quick and dirty movie summary:

A modern day musical set on the streets of Dublin. Featuring Glen Hansard from the Irish band "The Frames," the film tells the story of a street musician and a Czech immigrant during an eventful week as they write, rehearse and record songs that reveal their unique love story.

After the movie, there'll be a Q&A, and a live performance by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (Czech immigrant). Sweet! But, what do I ask? I always like to prepare questions ahead of time, but it's so hard when you're too big of fan. What should I ask?

Q: "Hi, Glen and Marketa. I'm a huge fan of The Frames and of The Swell Season. I was in Dublin with you guys, y'know, ringing in the New Year! I was the Asian girl near the stage...probably a little hard to miss with all the vanilla people around me. Y'know, the one with the camera in your face the whole night? Anyway, I saw you last week when you were in NY. You guys were great! I even got a set list, which was way cool. Anyway, umm, yeah. I didn't really have a question, I guess. It was just a public opportunity to squeal, make inaudible shrill noises, and gush. So, umm, thanks guys!"

No, I can't say that. Someone help me not sound like an ass because without a rehearsal I will say those things above.

Dead Like Me Lives On

Yessssss!!!!!

Although I missed this show when it was actually on the air, my recent TV on DVD binging has included the two seasons of this show. Dead Like Me was one of those shows that was smart (or smart mouthed), funny, and a fun watch, with too few people watching. If the original cast signs on, this could be the closure that fans have desperately neeeded in the form of a made for DVD movie. I know, "made for DVD movie" has that ring of shitty Lifetime movie, but seriously, I'll take anything. I'm so sick of blue balls. Wonderfalls? Carnivale?

Thank you, thank you, thank you, MGM.

A girl can only hold out for so long

before burning a small hole in her pocket. This weekend's acquisitions:

This gorgeous belted shirtdress by Doo Ri from the Gap's Design Edition:

And a professional Waring waffle iron that makes beautiful, round, deep belgian waffles. Mmmmm!!! Now I just need to learn how to cook!

Bringing the Forest to You

I know this is a little late in the game, but I've set up a Feedburner link to (hopefully) make it easier to subscribe to RSS feeds. Hope it's helpful--or at the very least--warranted.

Alanis Morisette's Humps?

Are you fucking serious? LOL.

Widget happy

Man, if only Blogger had three columns! I think I've gone a little crazy with the widgets these days. Happens when I'm bored. Holler if you think it's a little too much.

The House o' Bloggers

For a long while I've been envious of The House o' Bloggers down on Florida Street in DC. They are: Matthew Yglesias, Kriston Capps, Catherine Andrews, Spencer Ackerman, and "Becks" (didn't figure out her full name). What better way to live than to not have real jobs, blog hard all week long, and be drunk all weekend?

Alright, that's a little hypocritical of me to say. Since I am a) socially awkward with a documented phobia of crowds, b) possibly allergic to alcoholic beverages (it's a shame, right?), and c) employed and happily benefitting from a paycheck (little that it is). At any rate, they're not really all unemployed anymore. At one point they were and I seriously wondered how they afforded rent and groceries.

At any rate, Matt Yglesias has jumped ships from The American Prospect to The Atlantic Monthly and it's official in blog form now. Outside of a new URL, a site redesign, and some Atlantic-branding, it's still pretty much the same good stuff, except for his blogroll.

I found it interesting that his blogroll has been put on a diet, and what's especially noteworthy is the absence of two of his roommates' blogs: Spencer and Becks. You may recognize Spencer's name from his days at The New Republic. It was no secret that he butted heads frequently with the man upstairs and was fired, oh, I mean "quit." Is this the Atlantic's way of demonstrating their disapproval? I don't know, but that's some cold shit, if you ask me.

Another productive day at the office

What a great day! I could feel the Protestant work ethic pulsing through my veins as I managed to:

• get my Line Rider to successfully slide through a loopdy-loop
• get a whole bunch of Acrobots to stack up before they fell down into an tripod orgy
• completely pop several, several sheets of virtual bubblewrap (thanks, Nikki)

Ahh, Fridays.

Live Octopus Tentacles!

Blech!! Perhaps it's my lack of culture or my ignorance, but this is just wrong.

Ka plah plah plah, fellow Klingons.

Hot Fuzz

Funny, funny movie. The extreme closeups, the frenetic editing of chase scenes, the ridiculous shots of pairs of feet walking...it was great.

However, I'm a douchebag. Will someone please explain to me what Hot Fuzz means? Is this like a British thing? Their version of our Five-O?

The Frames (the recap)

Needless to say, the show was amazing and I loved every minute of it. They played a whopping 21 songs in 2 hours and they would have played another song or two if the venue didn't kick the band out.

HB and I had seats in the far right wing of orchestra (aka-obstructed view) while the first two rows in the theater remained relatively empty. (Either for AMEX gold card holders or the owner's brother). We hemmed and hawed about moving, but were unsure about getting in trouble, worried that the people who had those ticketed seats would show up, blah, blah, but after two songs, Glen Hansard (aka-Irish Jeremy Banks) offered the seats to the first takers. After kicking, shoving, and stepping over bodies, HB and I secured two second row seats in center orchestra. Upgrade!

After the show, I ran to the stage and snagged my very first set list! Wooot!

For the few (if any) Frames fans out there who read this blog, here's the real set list they played:

1. Song for Someone
2. Seven Day Mile
3. The Cost
4. God Bless Mom
5. Stars Are Underground
6. Happy
7. Sad Songs
8. When Your Mind's Made Up
9. What Happens When the Heart Just Stops
10. Rent Day Blues
11. Pavement Tune
12. Fake
13. Your Face
14. Santa Maria
15. Blue Shoes (Colm solo)
16. Leave
17. Finally
18. Revelate
19. Fitzcarraldo
20. Star Star
21. Heyday

The Frames at Town Hall

Love 'em! More details of the awesome show coming soon! Here's a video of "Fake" for your visual and auditory enjoyment.

I won something...again?

Ok, seriously. This is just getting a little ridiculous. I won something from the wedding show last month and this one is for real, though I'm admittedly far too squeamish to seriously consider how I want to use it.

I won $300 towards a laser hair removal procedure and I have no idea what to do with this. Well, I do know what I'd like to do with it. It'd be nice to not have to buy refills for my Venus or Schick Quattro razor at practically $3 a blade, but I know these blades are cheaper than any laser hair removal process. I mean, even if I did just my armpits, I'm sure it's waay more than $300.

In essence, I won a coupon to use towards something I can't afford. Lovely.

Couldn't I have won one of those fancy wine dinners at that restaurant by the water? Or the ginormous flat screen TV? Shit, I'd take the fuckin' crystal toasting flutes at this point. This whole winning thing is like having luck, but no luck.

I won a fake vacation

Sigh and double sigh. I received two voicemails on Thursday and Friday from Simplicity Gourmet congratulating me that I won a vacation from a raffle I entered at the March liweddings.com wedding show. I tried to call back late on Friday, but it was way past office hours and I knew I had to wait till Monday to find out what this was all about.

I called back this morning and was told that they'd call me back when they were in the NY-area again because I have to attend a 90-minute cooking show in order to qualify for the prize: an 8-day condo stay in the U.S., Europe, or Mexico. That should have been a red flag for me right then and there, but I needed HB to clear my head and help me realize this is just a pyramid scheme. Fuck.

I guess it was a waste of time to daydream about spending our honeymoon in Aix en Provence, or some such beautiful place like that.

Sigh.

I (heart) Marc by Marc Jacobs

Those who know me well, know of my unending love for Marc Jacobs. So, when reading my email tonight, I was clearly E-L-A-T-E-D to hear about this giveaway for a Marc by Marc Jacobs Softy Tote from Justice. Oh, Justice, you know just how to pluck the strings to my heart. Obviously, I've entered. Had I checked my email sooner, I would have lit a candle at church this morning. Hey, it can't hurt!

The knot in my stomach

My shack burger, cheese fries, and three berry pie concrete were delicious, but they've dropped like a rock into my troubled stomach.

I think I deeply hurt Moonie's feelings this afternoon and I'm feeling awful about it. It was some poorly timed and only-funny-in-my-head comment about her uncharacteristic tweed suit and pearls outfit and something about growing up white in Connecticut. Yeah, I know, I know. Anyway, I'm feeling so bad that I wish I hadn't eaten 4,000 calories worth of delcious grease and sugar tonight. Oh well. I said I was sorry, but it wasn't enough and I don't know what will be enough. And when a person's mad at you and you feel bad about he/she being mad at you and he/she says that he/she's not mad anymore because he/she doesn't want you to feel bad, it's a lie. He/She is still mad at you and will remember this incident like ammunition for the next fight, if there is a next one.

Sigh. A sour burger surrounded by unhappy, negative stomach acids, and a guilty conscience make for a very unhappy and blue Blue.

SHAKE SHACK, BABY!!

I've been to the gym three times this week (so far), ate two salads yesterday, and am about to eat another salad for lunch right now, all in preparation of this divine experience: Shake Shack.

I will devour a shack burger, cheese fries, and a concrete with today's custard 'o the day flavor, FLUFFER NUTTER! Or, I might stick with the old favorite The Concrete Jungle (frozen custard, hot fudge, peanut butter, and bananas).

There will be no sharing of food today lest one choose to risk gnawed off fingers. I tremble with excitement.

St. Louis is watching me

Yesterday I stumbled across this article from the NY Times about the coming surge in economic activity and population in the once great, fourth largest city in America: St. Louis.

Because I think everything is about me, I take this article as a personal affront to my strong feelings about that dump of a city.

Free ice cream

Today was free ice cream day at Ben & Jerry's and they have two new flavors: creme brulee and cinnamon buns. I had the creme brulee and it was amaaazing. Try it. I promise, you'll love it.

One day I'll have a chance to repeat these words

"Since I just got promoted, I just thought you two should know that I take my coffee with a little milk, two sugars, and a lot less of your bullshit."

--George Lass, Dead Like Me (season 2)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

For many people I know, this movie easily ranks on personal Top 5 All-Time Favorite Movies and for obvious, good reasons.

I've always felt a superficial connection to Clementine's free spirit and awesome movie wardrobe because we both have the same pink striped panties that she wears in the scene where Clementine is helping Joel figure out how to stop the memory erasing. They're in Joel's apartment and she's sittin on the coach next to him and the camera looks down at her crotch to show pink striped panties. Yeah, I have those too. They're from a Valentine's Day 3-pack panty set from the Gap (pink stripes, white with pink and red hearts, and red with white "I love you" printed all over).

Sorry, I'll stop rambling now. Since Netflix shafted me this weekend, I decided to rewatch this movie on DVD and I started reassessing how I feel about it. This is one of Nikki's favorite movies, but when we talked about it, she said that it's a very sad movie for her. I was surprised by her take and told her that I always thought the movie was very uplifting.

I see her point: Joel and Clementine might have a fresh start in their relationship, but they're doomed to fall into the same pitfalls and split up again. When I watched the movie with that in mind, it broke my heart. I always saw this movie as evidence that you can't help who you love, no matter what you try to do. Joel and Clementine are soul mates and not even erasing each other from their memories can tear them apart.

Now I'm torn. Any lovers of this movie out there? Would you care to jump into the fray on this?

Damn you, Netflix!

Once again, Netflix has completely ruined my weekend. This weekend's menu should have been:

1. The 4400, Season 1, Disc 2
2. Dead Like Me, Season 2, Disc 1
3. Dead Like Me, Season 2, Disc 2

However, I devoured The 4400 on Thursday night, so that's back in the mail, and then Dead Like Me, Disc 1 arrived with the disc snapped in half. Fuck! That means that I can't watch Disc 2, therefore I have NOTHING TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND.

Now my weekend will consist of eBay selling, which is emotionally painful and incredibly time consuming when your computer is 5 nanoseconds away from completely dying, and doing work work. Ugh, I hate doing work work at home. For some odd reason I used to like it, but I think that being older and wiser has allowed me to come to my senses. That, and the whole not giving a shit anymore about career development probably has something to do with it.

Hello Kitty Plane

Big thanks to Justice for this one. People: there is a Hello Kitty Plane flying out there and I am NOT on board. Wtf? These pictures are so cute I almost puked. I'm sure this plane will fly passengers to my sister's dream destination: the Sylvanian. Pack your bags!

Mea Culpa

Yeah, yeah, I know that I suck at this blogging thing these days. What can I say? I am incapable of properly balancing my life. Back in the day I was like: go to work, come home, eat, Netflix, blog, and sleep. Now I'm more like: go to work, go to gym, come home, eat, (maybe Netflix), and sleep.

Weird. Never thought I'd be the person to replace blogging with going to the gym or that I might consider using phrases like "gym rat" to describe myself. Seriously people, my sleep patterns have never been this good. And the high that you get from spinning on an elliptical for 30 minutes is pretty amazing.

Here's my new, new year's resolution: go to work, go to gym, come home, eat, Netflix, blog, and sleep. Now all I need to do is create the 36 hour day!

Motivation

I'm feeling rather poor these days, especially since I spent so much money in St. Louis last week. Yeah, technically I get all that money back when I put in my expense report, but it takes time for that money to trickle back to you. This is why I should be selling more stuff on eBay. Today's the perfect day to list a bunch more stuff, so why am I not doing it? Oh, right. 'Cause I'm lazy and would rather eat the chocolate duck my sister sent me from Ireland than do something productive with my life.

No wonder I hate my job.

Motivational speakers and career counselors: please leave a business card at the front desk.

Happy Easter

to all of you folks who celebrate the holiday! To those of you who don't, happy day nonetheless. It's frigid outside and my tush is very happy to be snuggled up under 3 layers of blankets with one hand on a sugar cookie and the other on my DVD remote. This weekend's menu:

• Dead Like Me, season 1, discs 3 & 4
• The 4400, season 1, disc 1

Gotta love Netflix.

Snob

I'm so grateful for the times that my mouth is capable of holding back the flood of verbal diarrhea...or at least the very few times.

For instance, this evening on the subway a woman sat beside me reading NY Times articles printed from the web. (Of course, to save a few bucks, I do the same thing all the time. Plus, it saves my fingers from newspaper ink, which is a huge pet peeve for me.)

However, instead of thinking, "Ah, good for her. A smart woman who prints her articles from the web to save a few bucks," my mind immediately noticed that the printouts had all the extraneous web frames around the articles, which indicates that she uses 1/3 more paper than necessary because she didn't utilize the "print" feature that extracts all the miscellany around the articles and expands the margins. I screamed inside my head, "idiot!!!"

Somehow I held back my frustration with this stranger, though I was very, very close to leaning towards her and pointing to the little printer icon to say, "You know, there's a print function on the site. (finger point) Your 850-word article really doesn't need 5 sheets of paper. Just so you know."

When does it stop?

Being out of the office for a week is enough to set you back a month in workload. Am I ever going to have a day when I don't feel like I'm still trying to catch up? Fuck, man. I'm tired, can't breathe, am exhausted, and I can't do everything by Friday.

Sorry, needed to let it out.

(sob)

Trumpet Playing Toyota Partner Robot

As promised, here's the video I recorded from NSTA. Dude, how cool is this robot? How much cooler would it be if I could ask Toyota to sponsor our wedding and ask for this robot to come play at our cocktail reception?

The Decemberists - O Valencia!

Cough, cough, wheeze

I'm home sick again today obviously because the fates can't cut me some slack and let me feel better. This is St. Louis's parting gift to me for hating that shithole city so much.

I'm completely congested, my throat feels sore, I have a fever, and I can't breathe. Grrrr. Yes, I want your pity. Or this t-shirt, please.

Knight Rider

OMG I love it! Check out the hysterical Threadless tee:

HB: I'm sorry to report that almost every boy size is sold out!

Foresters: please vote for a reprint!!

The Decemberists!! (3/24/07)

I meant to post this ages ago and I'm sorry I didn't. Before embarking on my trip to hell (aka St. Louis), HB and I saw The Decemberists play a kick ass show at Avalon in Boston the Saturday before last. (squeal, squeal, gush)

Here's the setlist:

1. Oceanside
2. The Island
3. Yankee Bayonet
4. Summersong
5. The Crane Wife #1
6. 16 Military Wives
7. Grace Cathedral
8. Shankill Butchers
9. The Perfect Crime #2
10. O Valencia!
11. Infanta
12. The Mariner's Revenge Song
13. Sons & Daughters

I got some decent video from the show, but I still haven't figured out how to edit video to make the files smaller. I'm dying to put up my 10 minute video of The Mariner's Revenge Song, but don't know how. I've got O Valencia on YouTube now for your viewing pleasure.

The St. Louis Wrap Up

So, I missed my flight, scrambled like hell to build a booth in 2 hours when I got to St. Louis, had my two camera memory sticks stolen, thought I lost my cell phone, had my return flight to NY cancelled on me (and then rebooked), the plane going to NY was "broken" so I had to wait 3 hours in the airport for them to "find a new one," and St. Louis gave me a cold, which made me stay home from work today.

All in all, a fairly crumby trip. Was it worth all this effort? Hell no. In three 8-hour days manning the company booth, we sold 51 books. Not even enough to cover my food and airfare for 5 days in St. Louis.

Cough cough. Sigh.

On the bright side: I ate lobster, delicious Brazilian and Vietnamese food, and I saw a robot play a trumpet. YouTube link is tk.

Sticking it to The Man

It's no secret that this trip to St. Louis hasn't been kind to me, so I decided to collect. Since I can't expense my two stolen memory sticks (and all the other shit that's happened), I got paid back in ridiculously extravagant food.

Saturday night, we went to a super fancy Italian restaurant called Kemoll's and I ordered:

• battered and fried artichoke hearts with a horseradish dipping sauce
• two deeelicious lobster tails with melted butter and alfredo penne with sun dried tomatoes
• bananas foster, which was prepared at our table to much flaming excitement!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Happy tummy!